Thursday, July 18, 2019

Microsoft reported revenue of $33.7 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, up 12% compared to a year earlier. Net income was $13.2 billion GAAP and $10.6 billion non-GAAP, and increased 49% and 21%, respectively.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Microsoft and AT&T announced an extensive, multiyear alliance under which Microsoft will be the preferred cloud provider for non-network applications. Specifically, AT&T will provide much of its workforce with Microsoft 365, and plans to migrate non-network infrastructure applications to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

AT&T said the alliance is part of its broader public cloud first strategy to consolidate data center infrastructure and operations. AT&T is becoming a “public cloud first” company by migrating most non-network workloads to the public cloud by 2024.

“AT&T and Microsoft are among the most committed companies to fostering technology that serves people,” said John Donovan, CEO, AT&T Communications. “By working together on common efforts around 5G, the cloud, and AI, we will accelerate the speed of innovation and impact for our customers and our communities.”

“AT&T is at the forefront of defining how advances in technology, including 5G and edge computing, will transform every aspect of work and life,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “The world’s leading companies run on our cloud, and we are delighted that AT&T chose Microsoft to accelerate its innovation. Together, we will apply the power of Azure and Microsoft 365 to transform the way AT&T’s workforce collaborates and to shape the future of media and communications for people everywhere.”

In addition, Microsoft will tap into the innovation AT&T is offering on its 5G network, including to design, test, and build edge-computing capabilities. With edge computing and a lower-latency 5G connection enabled through AT&T’s geographically dispersed network infrastructure, devices can process data closer to where decisions are made. Recently, Microsoft and AT&T worked together to test an edge computing-based tracking and detection system for drones. With more connected devices and the growing demand for streaming content from movies to games, businesses and consumers require ever-increasing network capabilities.

New Azure Networking services include Virtual WAN, ExpressRoute, Azure Firewall, and Azure Front Door (SSL offload, application acceleration and global HTTP load balancing at the edge close to end users).

A newly launched Azure Lighthouse service provides a single control plane to view and manage Azure at scale for service providers. Azure Lighthouse enables the Azure Networking MSPs to onboard customers via managed services offers on the Azure marketplace or natively via ARM templates.

To do so, Azure Networking partners will deliver Virtual WAN CPEs and hybrid networking services such as ExpressRoute to enterprises that are building cloud infrastructures.

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Microsoft and ServiceNow announced a broader strategic partnership intended to significantly enhance the integration and optimization of the companies’ products, platform and cloud capabilities.

In addition, ServiceNow will house its full SaaS experience on Azure in addition to its own private cloud. ServiceNow will first be available through Azure Regions in Australia and Azure Government in the United States, followed by additional markets in the future.

“There is an enormous opportunity for customers — including in the public sector — to apply the power of the cloud to become more efficient and responsive,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Our partnership combines ServiceNow’s expertise in digital workflows with Azure, our trusted cloud, so that customers can accelerate their digital transformation, while meeting their security and compliance needs.”

“Expanding our strategic global relationship with Microsoft enables ServiceNow to more fully leverage and integrate our platform and products with Microsoft’s leading enterprise technology and capabilities,” said John Donahoe, president and CEO of ServiceNow. “Together, ServiceNow and Microsoft will help our enterprise and government customers accelerate their digital transformation, creating great experiences and unlocking productivity.”

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Microsoft's next-generation Xbox (codename Project Scarlett) will feature a custom version of AMD’s latest Zen 2 processing unit and Radeon RDNA graphics architecture along with high bandwidth GDDR6 system memory. The console will also leverage a customized SSD that operates "almost like DRAM."

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

The arrangement enables customers to migrate and run enterprise workloads across Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud. The companies promise seamlessly connections between Azure services, like Analytics and AI, to Oracle Cloud services, like Autonomous Database.

The new set of capabilities:

Connect Azure and Oracle Cloud seamlessly, allowing customers to extend their on-premises datacenters to both clouds. This direct interconnect is available starting today in Ashburn (North America) and Azure US East, with plans to expand additional regions in the future.

Unified identity and access management, via a unified single sign-on experience and automated user provisioning, to manage resources across Azure and Oracle Cloud. Also available in early preview today, Oracle applications can use Azure Active Directory as the identity provider and for conditional access.

Supported deployment of custom applications and packaged Oracle applications (JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, Oracle Retail, Hyperion) on Azure with Oracle databases (RAC, Exadata, Autonomous Database) deployed in Oracle Cloud. The same Oracle applications will also be certified to run on Azure with Oracle databases in Oracle Cloud.

A collaborative support model to help IT organizations deploy these new capabilities while enabling them to leverage existing customer support relationships and processes.

Oracle Database will continue to be certified to run in Azure on various operating systems, including Windows Server and Oracle Linux.

“With Oracle’s enterprise expertise, this alliance is a natural choice for us as we help our joint customers accelerate the migration of enterprise applications and databases to the public cloud," said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and AI division.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Sony and Microsoft announced an alliance targeted at direct-to-consumer entertainment platforms and AI solutions.

The companies agreed to explore joint development of cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services. In addition, the two companies will explore the use of current Microsoft Azure datacenter-based solutions for Sony’s game and content-streaming services.

Sony and Microsoft also agreed to collaborate in the areas of semiconductors and AI. For semiconductors, this includes potential joint development of new intelligent image sensor solutions, potentially integrating Sony’s image sensors with Microsoft’s Azure AI technology in a hybrid manner across cloud and edge.

In terms of AI, the parties will explore the incorporation of Microsoft’s advanced AI platform and tools in Sony consumer products, to provide highly intuitive and user-friendly AI experiences.

“Sony is a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology. We collaborate closely with a multitude of content creators that capture the imagination of people around the world, and through our cutting-edge technology, we provide the tools to bring their dreams and vision to reality,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, president and CEO of Sony. “PlayStation® itself came about through the integration of creativity and technology. Our mission is to seamlessly evolve this platform as one that continues to deliver the best and most immersive entertainment experiences, together with a cloud environment that ensures the best possible experience, anytime, anywhere."

“Sony has always been a leader in both entertainment and technology, and the collaboration we announced today builds on this history of innovation,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Our partnership brings the power of Azure and Azure AI to Sony to deliver new gaming and entertainment experiences for customers.”

Azure VMware Solutions are built on VMware Cloud Foundation, enabling customers to migrate existing VMware workloads from on-premises environments to Azure without the need to re-architect applications or retool operations.

The companies said this collaboration will enable organizations to tap into Azure’s scale, security and fast provisioning cycles. Azure VMware Solutions are first-party services from Microsoft developed in collaboration with VMware Cloud Verified partners CloudSimple and Virtustream (a Dell Technologies company).

In a keynote address at its annual DellTechWorld event in Las Vegas, Michael Dell said “Our goal is to provide a single view from edge to core to cloud – an integrated platform for our customers’ digital future.”

Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft, added "“At Microsoft, we’re focused on empowering customers in their digital transformation journey, through partnerships that enable them to take advantage of the Microsoft cloud, using the technologies they already have,” said “Together with Dell Technologies and VMware, we are providing our mutual customers with an integrated cloud experience and digital workplace solutions to open up new opportunities and meet their evolving needs.”

In addition, joint Microsoft 365 and VMware Workspace ONE customers will be able to manage Office 365 across devices via cloud-based integration with Microsoft Intune and Azure Active Directory. VMware will also extend the capabilities of Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop leveraging VMware Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Microsoft announced general availability of its Azure Data Box Edge and the Azure Data Box Gateway for on-premise deployment.

Data Box Edge, which is described as an on-premises anchor point for Azure, is offered on a pay-as-you-go basis, just like any other Azure service and the hardware is included. This 1U rack-mountable appliance provides:

Local Compute – Run containerized applications at your location. Use these to interact with your local systems or to pre-process your data before it transfers to Azure.

Azure Machine Learning utilizing an Intel Arria 10 FPGA - Use the on-board Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to accelerate inferencing of your data, then transfer it to the cloud to re-train and improve your models. Learn more about the Azure Machine Learning announcement.

Cloud managed – Easily order your device and manage these capabilities for your fleet from the cloud using the Azure Portal.

Data Box Gateway is also available as a standalone virtual appliance on a pay-as-you-go basis. It can be provisioned it in a hypervisor, using either Hyper-V or VMware, and managed through the Azure Portal. Server message block (SMB) or network file system (NFS) shares will be set up on the local network. Data landing on these shares will automatically upload to your Azure Storage account, supporting Block Blob, Page Blob, or Azure Files. We’ll handle the network retries and optimize network bandwidth for you. Multiple network interfaces mean the appliance can either sit on your local network or in a DMZ, giving your systems access to Azure Storage without having to open network connections to Azure.

In addition to Data Box Edge and Data Box Gateway, Azure announced three sizes of Data Box for offline data transfer:

Data Box – a ruggedized 100 TB transport applianceData Box Disk – a smaller, more nimble transport option with individual 8 TB disks and up to 40 TB per orderData Box Heavy Preview - a bigger version of Data Box that can scale to 1 PB.

Specifically for this trial, network edge compute (NEC) capabilities are deployed at the AT&T Foundry in Plano, Texas. The companies are working with Israel-based Vorpal, a start-up building a drone detection and geolocation tracking solution. The service can be useful to commercial drone monitoring, airports, public safety law enforcement agencies and others needing the ability to identify drone and operator locations in near-real time, enhancing monitoring and mitigation.

“We’re creating new ways for our customers to directly access a multitude of cloud options closer to where they do business,” said Mo Katibeh, chief marketing officer, AT&T Business. “Using the blazing speeds of our fiber, LTE and 5G mobile connections, we’re paving the way for how low-latency pathways to cloud services like Microsoft Azure can accelerate business transformation – for both enterprise and small business applications.”

Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president, Azure Networking, Microsoft Corp. said, “Our collaboration will pave the way to enable Microsoft Azure cloud services to connect to more customers and devices across the U.S. through AT&T’s nationwide wireless network. Our two companies are working together to achieve the low latency connectivity needed for the explosion of devices and immense amount of data being created by computing at the edge.”

AT&T is pursuing a three-pillar approach for 5G business solutions including:

Mobile 5G - AT&T is on track to launch a standards-based nationwide mobile 5G network in early 2020, with seamless handoffs between Wi-Fi, LTE and 5G. The network is currently active in parts of the 12 cities.

Fixed Wireless - within the next few weeks, AT&T Wireless Broadband will offer multiple speed tiers up to 50 Mbps. This solution builds on AT&T's fiber distribution -- over 8 million business customer locations sit within 1,000 feet of the company's fiber/ Nearly 2.2 million locations are currently connect with fiber today.Edge Computing -- AT&T Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC) uses the software-defined network to enable faster access to data processing, and gives flexibility in how businesses manage their cellular traffic through on-premise hardware and software. With MEC, businesses can process low-latency, high-bandwidth applications closer to where they’re used to help create new outcomes and capabilities.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Telefónica and Microsoft outlined a strategic partnership to leverage the Microsoft Azure AI platform alongside the Telefónica global network to design services telcos will offer in the future.

Specifically, Telefónica and Microsoft will expand the use of Azure Cognitive Services for customer engagement and business processes, create new AI-powered, in-home experiences for customers and explore the use of intelligent technologies to transform the network.

“Telefónica has been a leader in using AI to transform customer engagement, and the strategic partnership we announced today builds on this history of innovation,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Together, we will apply the power of Azure and Azure AI to create new, innovative experiences for millions of Telefónica customers around the world and shape the future of Telefónica’s network.”

José María Álvarez-Pallete, chairman and CEO of Telefónica, said “Telefónica is applying cutting-edge technology to its ongoing transformation, pioneering virtualization and softwarization to develop smart, liquid networks ready to be powered by AI. Specifically, we are already using AI to enhance our customer relationships and are really excited to work with Microsoft to further harness the power of Azure AI. This agreement strengthens our relationship and our common belief that AI technology and the use of data should be based on solid ethical principles and empower people to control their digital lives.”

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Microsoft posted quarterly revenue of $32.5 billion, up 12% yoy, and operating income of $10.3 billion, up 18% yoy. Net income was $8.4 billion GAAP and $8.6 billion non-GAAP.

“Our strong commercial cloud results reflect our deep and growing partnerships with leading companies in every industry including retail, financial services, and healthcare,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "We are delivering differentiated value across the cloud and edge as we work to earn customer trust every day.”

Highlights

Revenue in Productivity and Business Processes was $10.1 billion and increased 13% (up 13% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Microsoft shared details of its Project xCloud, which will use state-of-the-art global game-streaming technology to allow users to play on any device. The idea is to make the gaming experience to music and movies — available on demand and accessible from any screen.

Microsoft promises to make it easy for developers to bring their content to Project xCloud.

Project xCloud public trials are expected to begin in 2019. Microsoft said the initial focus is "on delivering an amazing added experience to existing Xbox players and on empowering developers to scale to hundreds of millions of new players across devices. Our goal with Project xCloud is to deliver a quality experience for all gamers on all devices that’s consistent with the speed and high-fidelity gamers experience and expect on their PCs and consoles."

Cloud game-streaming is expected to be a multi-faceted, complex challenge. Microsoft noted that compatibility with existing and future Xbox games requires custom hardware blades for its data centers. The customizable blades host the component parts of multiple Xbox One consoles.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Georgia Tech has established a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute circuit in partnership with Internet 2.

A blog posting by Adam Smith, IT Service Delivery Lead, Georgia Tech discusses the challenges of turning up the Azure service while incorporating external private address space, routing issues, and cloud network architecture.

Internet2 is the advanced technology community founded by the leading higher education institutions in the U.S.
https://www.internet2.edu/blogs/detail/16404

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Microsoft reported revenue of $30.1 billion for its fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2018, up 17% yoy. Operating income was $10.4 billion, up 35% yoy. GAAP net income was $8.9 billion and non-GAAP income was $8.8 billion.

“We had an incredible year, surpassing $100 billion in revenue as a result of our teams’ relentless focus on customer success and the trust customers are placing in Microsoft,” said Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “Our early investments in the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge are paying off, and we will continue to expand our reach in large and growing markets with differentiated innovation.”

Revenue in Productivity and Business Processes was $9.7 billion and increased 13% (up 10% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Microsoft is introducing two new services that significantly increase the reach and security of its cloud service: Azure Virtual WAN (wide-area network) and Azure Firewall.

Azure Virtual WAN is a networking service providing optimized and automated branch to branch connectivity for connecting to and through Azure using a distributed connectivity model. It provides mechanisms to connect traditional customer routers on-premises as well as an expanding ecosystem of new Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) systems from Microsoft partners. Microsoft said its Virtual WAN allows customers to seamlessly connect their branches to each other and Azure using last mile Internet. It also enables customers to construct a hub and spoke network in Azure to more easily route traffic to virtual appliances such as firewalls and Azure network security services. Microsoft's current Virtual WAN partners include Citrix and Riverbed.

Azure Firewall is a cloud-native network security service that protects Azure Virtual Network resources. It is a fully stateful firewall as a service with built-in high availability and unrestricted cloud scalability. Customers can centrally create, enforce, and log application and network connectivity policies, spanning Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs), IP Addresses, ports and protocols across subscriptions and virtual networks. Azure Firewall policies can be fully integrated with customers’ DevOps model while enabling them to manage security risks and achieve compliance requirements for managing resource access and protection in the cloud.

Microsoft has also updated its Azure Data Box, which is its data storage appliance for physically transferring large data sets from a customer location to the Azure cloud. The Azure Data Box will now be offered in Europe and the United Kingdom. A new Azure Data Box is an SSD-disk based option with up to five 8TB drives, totaling 40TB, for a recurring or one-time data migration.

This week Microsoft is hosting its Inspire partner conference in Las Vegas.

Monday, June 4, 2018

GitHub is the leading repository for open source code. The company has over 28 million developers collaborating on its platform.

GitHub vows to retain its developer-first ethos and to operate independently to provide an open platform for all developers in all industries. Microsoft said GitHub will become part of its Intelligent Cloud segment for accounting purposes.
“Microsoft is a developer-first company, and by joining forces with GitHub we strengthen our commitment to developer freedom, openness and innovation,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “We recognize the community responsibility we take on with this agreement and will do our best work to empower every developer to build, innovate and solve the world’s most pressing challenges.”

“I’m extremely proud of what GitHub and our community have accomplished over the past decade, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. The future of software development is bright, and I’m thrilled to be joining forces with Microsoft to help make it a reality. Their focus on developers lines up perfectly with our own, and their scale, tools and global cloud will play a huge role in making GitHub even more valuable for developers everywhere,” said Chris Wanstrath, Github CEO and co-founder.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Microsoft and Red Hat announced an expanded alliance to enable enterprises to run container-based applications across Microsoft Azure and on-premises using the Red Hat OpenShift Kubernetes platform.

Red Hat OpenShift on Azure is a fully-managed service that provides the flexibility to reely move applications between on-premises environments and Azure with a consistent platform.

The companies said they can enable applications to connect faster, and with enhanced security, between Azure and on-premises OpenShift clusters with hybrid networking. From the containers, enterprises will be able to access other Microsoft Azure services like Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure SQL DB.

A preview of Red Hat OpenShift on Azure is expected in the coming months. Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Azure and Azure Stack are currently available.